Saturday, November 13, 2010

"Anger is a semifinalist for the second time in his career, also earning the distinction as a freshman in 2008 and has been on the award's watch list during each of his three seasons at Cal. Anger is averaging 45.8 yards per punt over his first nine games and 43 punts of 2010, ranks third in the Pac-10 and 10th nationally. He is also ahead of Cal's single-season school record of 45.3 set by Scott Tabor in 1987. Anger's 2010 mark is also 2.7 yards better than his career average of 43.1, a figure that ranks second all-time at Cal behind Tabor's 44.0 from 1986-87."

"Butler, a 6-foot-2, 203-pound native of Duluth, won the 2009 Ray Guy Award after averaging a national-best 48.1 yards per punt to become a consensus All-American. Butler has continued his stellar play into his junior season. He is second in the SEC with a 45.2 average on 41 punts, including 14 that have traveled longer than 50 yards. Dropping 17 of those punts within the 20-yard line, Butler has put Georgia at the No. 4 spot in the nation in net punting with an average of 41.1. Butler is on pace to become the school’s all-time leader in punting average for a career with a mark of 46.5."

"Donahue is a 6-3, 190-pound senior from Evergreen Park, IL. He is averaging 45 yards on 36 punts this season. He has booted four of the 13 longest punts in Hawkeye history, including a school second best 82-yarder as a freshman. He has three other punts over 70 yards during his Iowa career. He has been Iowa's starting punter the last four years. He was an honorable mention all Big Ten selection last year and as a freshman. He made the second all-league team as a sophomore. He has averaged over 40 yards per punt all four years as a Hawkeye. He has had 16 of his 36 punts downed inside the 20 this season."

"Forrest, a senior from Ephrata, became WSU’s all-time leader in punts (264) and punt yardage (11,267) earlier this season ranks second-time in career punting average (42.7). Forrest is also the active career FBS leader in punts and punt yardage. This season Forrest is averaging a career-best 45.7 yards per punt and ranks fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference and 12th nationally. He has connected for 17 punts of 50-plus yards and four punts of 60 yards or more, including a career-best of 84 yards last week against California. It marked the second-longest punt in WSU history and tied for the fourth-longest by a Pac-10 player."

"Henry has punted 33 times for 1,590 yards (48.18 average) through nine games in 2010. Twelve of his punts have landed inside the 20-yard line and only 10 have been returned. Henry has also taken over kicking duties for the Gators and was named the SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Florida’s 34-31 overtime win against Georgia after he kicked the team’s winning field goal."

"Hutchins (Williamsport, PA / Loyalsock Township) is averaging 45.5 yards per punt. Eleven of his punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line (31%). An impressive 54% of his punts have not been returned. The Panthers boast a 41.2 net punting average."

"A junior from Spearfish, S.D., Martens leads Conference USA and is fifth in the nation with a 46.93-yard average on 45 punts this season. He has 17 punts inside the 20-yard line, including nine inside the 10. His previous career-best was 14 inside the 20 in 2008."

"Santella has become one of the nation's best punters in his senior campaign, averaging 46.2 yards per punt, which ranks eighth in the country. He also is averaging a net of 39.5 yards per punt, 12th-best in the nation. Santella also has recorded a career-best 16 punts over 50 yards and 12 inside the 20-yard line in 2010. The last Illini punter to be named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award list was Steve Weatherford in 2004."

"Sharp is currently No. 2 in the nation with a 47.3 yards-per-punt average. He is the only sophomore among the 10 semifinalists. Sharp has shown a strong leg as well as the ability to pin opponents deep in their own territory. He has 11 punts of 50 yards longer and six of 60 yards or longer this year, and had four punts downed inside the 8-yard line in one game against Kansas State. Sharp also leads in the nation with 43 kickoffs resulting in touchbacks, with the closest team total behind him being Florida State’s 32. Sharp’s predecessor, Matt Fodge, won the 2008 Ray Guy Award."

"Zimmerman has averaged 43.6 yards per punt on 42 attempts this year. He is on pace to record the fourth best punting average in Clemson history and the best since Chris Gardocki averaged a Clemson record 44.5 yards a punt in 1990. Zimmerman has a net punting average of 41.8 yards per punt and 14 of his 42 punts have been downed inside the 20. He is the major reason Clemson is 14th in the nation and first in he ACC in net punting. Opponents have just 75 total punt returns against Zimmerman's 42 punts this year and opponents have not had any punt return yards against the Tigers in the last three games."